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The region’s top barbecue pitmasters will head to downtown Lexington — and everyone will eat — at the inaugural Big Ass® Bluegrass BBQ FEST, set for June 9 and 10 at the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza.
Presented by Lexington-based Big Ass Services, and hosted by Smiley Pete Publishing (parent of Business Lexington, Chevy Chaser and Southsider magazines), the first Big Ass Bluegrass BBQ FEST also will feature a variety of beer and bourbon along with live blues, bluegrass and other musical performances.
“The Big Ass Bluegrass BBQ FEST will showcase local and regional barbecue talent with a heaping helping of barbecue culture,” said festival director Theresa Stanley.
The first year festival is the latest event produced by Smiley Pete, the independent publishing house responsible for Crave Lexington Food + Music Festival as well as Lexington Burger Week and Lexington Pizza Week. Big Ass Services, whose international headquarters is located in Lexington, has signed on as a presenting sponsor.
Additional event sponsors include Clark Distributing Co. Inc., Kentucky Beef Council, Brewgrass Trail, Beyond Grits, G&J Pepsi, Housewarmings with the Big Green Egg, Republic Bank, Kentucky Pork Producers, and Jim Beam, which is supplying the Official Bourbon of The Big Ass Bluegrass BBQ FEST.
In addition to two days of live music and variety of barbecue dining options, the event also will also feature a Backyard Pitmaster Competition open to local barbecue aficionados, and family-friendly recreational games such as cornhole.
The event will kick off on Friday, June 9, from 5-11 p.m. and continue Saturday, June 10, from 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Admission to this new festival is free. Attendees can park in nearby lots and city-owned garages. For more information, including a full music schedule closer to the event itself, check the festival’s website www.bluegrassbbqfest.com.